The Real Ending
by LadyKiseki
Summary: She got her wish after all.


**The real ending**

The elderly woman smiled down at the children gathered at her feet; their ages ranging from toddler to teenager. They all chattered and laughed with each other, excited to be visiting. The parents of the children were seated across the room, but unlike their children, each wore a look of trepidation and worry. They loved the old lady as much as the children, but today marked a special day. A day when someone close to the woman had died. She had never said as much, but the way she would get so sad when she told them he'd gone away led them to believe whoever it was had passed away.

"Onegai!" One little boy spoke up, rising about the other clamoring kids. "Tell us the story again!"

"Hai!" Piped up one of the older boys. "I want to hear about all the sword fighting!"

"No! The miko!"

"Eww. Not another love story!"

The argument might have escalated had the woman not shifted, drawing their attention and raised a hand for their silence. The parents were still amazed that such a small woman could command silence from a dozen children, when they were hard pressed to hold the child's attention for five minutes.

"It is both," she spoke softly, watching the children settle down and gather close. "It is full of duels, of lost love, enchantments, and monsters. Are you sure you wish to hear it? Your grandfather has books on it. I'm sure you'd rather read those…"

A resounding chorus of 'no' met her ears and she smiled.

"Nuh uh, Obaa-san. You tell it so much better," five-year-old Koko proudly proclaimed, which was unanimously seconded by the rest.

"Hai. It's like you actually lived it." That was twelve-year-old Gin.

"Very well then. Listen now to my tale," she began, just as she began all her stories. "A tale of tragedy and a search. A tale of a hanyou and a wish." She paused for dramatic effect, almost laughing at the eager expressions on the children's faces.

"The tale of the Shikon no Tama and Inuyasha."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a tale she told every year to the children, and yet even now, telling it to the next generation, their love of it had not died, nor her pain in retelling it. They all told her to give it time, that time would make it stop hurting. But they had lied. It hurt as badly today as the day it ended. Or so it always seemed. Most days she could distract herself into forgetting, but it would always return.

"Obaa-san? How does it really end?"

She looked up to the eldest of the children, 19-year-old Yashita, a bit puzzled by his question. "You think it ends differently?"

He nodded. "Hai. I've heard you tell that story every year and it's always the same. But I still want to hear it because it's like hearing it for the first time, like you were really there."

"Perhaps I am just a good storyteller?"

"Obaa-san…"

She stared at him for a long moment, weighing the options. There weren't many in the family that believed in the old ways anymore. But Yashita had always seemed, to her, to possess a bit of what she called 'the Sight'. The talent to see what wasn't there. When his siblings claimed to have imaginary friends, Yashita actually had them. She nodded finally and stood.

"Come then. Tell your Okaa-san that you're getting a lesson in spirituality. She'll understand."

His mother was one of the few to know the truth and believed it. She also insisted on Yashita's Sight being encouraged, rather than squashed. Sadly that had led to a divorce, but Yashita had thrived under the care of his solitary parent and gentle guidance of his grandmother. She was waiting for him in the library when he returned looking puzzled.

"Okaa-san told me that it's ok and to tell you not to be so blunt about it."

She laughed. "I can try. But after awhile the only way to tell it _is_ to be blunt. Have a seat grandson; this is going to be quite a shock. Perhaps if you asked me those questions I see burning in your eyes?"

"Well… you make it sound like there's a happy ending, but there wasn't, was there? Inuyasha chose the undead priestess, didn't he?"

"I do not know, to be honest. The story always ends when the reincarnation disappears, so it stands to reason that it was from her point of view the story was told."

"Hai. But how could she just disappear like that? I understood about Kikyou's resurrection and the fifty-year gap left time enough for someone to be reborn."

She nodded. "True. True. She disappeared because she wasn't from their time. She was from the future." She ignored his disbelieving gaze and removed a necklace from beneath her shirt, dangling the pink orb before him. "I was that girl."

Of all the responses, she never thought Yashita to be one to faint. He revived quickly though, and began a line of questioning that would have made a lawyer proud. But after it all, he was satisfied and a believer. He also understood the need for secrecy and vowed to tell no one without her express permission first. Before he left, he asked one final question. The one they all asked.

"What happened to Inuyasha?"

And it was the one question she could never answer.

The completion of the Shikon no Tama had been a bloody affair, losing more than they had gained. The jewel had whisked her away before she could say a word. All she was left with was one last image – Inuyasha holding Kikyou. And so she had returned, never again attempting to use the well. She drowned herself in schoolwork, shutting out the world as she pursued her goal. But late at night, when the books were closed and the lights were off, she would cry the tears of the broken hearted. She never got a chance to tell him how she felt, how she cared for him. The jewel had remained with her and despite a couple of careless wishes, it granted her nothing. Not the vision of her friends, not the return of her love. Nothing. And it attracted nothing either. Which led her to believe there really were no more youkai in the world.

Later that night, as she slept, she saw her friends. They looked so happy to see her, even him.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned. "What happened?"

He looked confused. "You don't know?"

When she shook her head he pointed down, which she thought was really weird until the mist parted and she was looking down upon herself.

"Oh! Am I…I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"It's time Kagome."

"But…you… Kikyou…"

He somehow knew what she was asking, what she needed to know before moving on. "A farewell hug, Kagome. Nothing more. She was laid to rest shortly after we lost you."

"The well stopped working, too." This came from Miroku, who held the hand of Sango. "We stayed in Kaede's village, protected it, and rebuilt it."

"Then Inuyasha and I watched over their kids and their kid's kids." Shippou spoke up proudly.

"There's no more youkai, is there?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. We did the best we could to survive, but the arrival of guns was our downfall."

"What… everyone?"

"Yeah. Even the 'mighty' Sesshoumaru couldn't outrun a machine gun. Rin grew up and grew old. She stayed with him and he took good care of her. Shippou's illusions kept us safe for a time, but eventually we were found out."

"Oh, Inuyasha…"

He gave her his usual cocky grin. "No worries, Kagome. We're all together again, right?"

She nodded, still hesitant to leave. She had to pass the jewel on didn't she? Was she really ready to just 'kick the bucket'?

"Kagome…"

She looked back up from watching her 'sleeping' self, curious about the pleading tone in his voice.

"Are… were you happy?"

Happy? Had she really been happy? She sighed. "I was…content, Inuyasha, but no, I wasn't happy as I could have been."

"You used to be. When you were…" his voice dropped to whisper, "with me."

She nodded. "Hai. Even when you made me mad, I was still happy to be with you."

His arms came around her, holding her close in the way she'd always dreamed of being held. "I… I want to make you happy again."

"Inuyasha?"

"You…you get a choice, for being so selfless. We can have a second chance or…"

"Or?"

"Or we find out what's really beyond the light."

Another chance to be with Inuyasha? Would she run into the same problems? Would it be worse or better? Could she do it all over again? But she knew the answer long ago.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Yashita!"

"Oi!" He laughed, waving to the group heading for him across the college campus. Coming to America to study had been considered a half-thought up idea at the time, two years ago. But with the death of his grandmother he had become the next keeper of the Shikon no Tama, which set the family afire. He had never thought his family would become so divided over a simple jewel. If Kagome had had any children of her own, the jewel would have passed to one of them. Only his grandfather, Souta, and his mother had understood his desperate need to get away, and blessed him on his journey.

"You're brooding again, Yash."

Yashita chuckled. "Sorry. Family reminiscing."

"Again? Geez, man. No offense, but they're idiots. Except you're mum and her old man, of course." The young man in question held up his hands in peace, his cheeks flaming about as red as his hair.

Yashita stopped growling and laughed. "You're too easy to pick on, Shep."

17-year-old Sheppard Foxfield looked disgruntled for a moment until the rest of the group caught up with them. 23-year-old Coral had only one more year before gaining her Social Worker degree amidst dodging the hands of her amorous boyfriend, Mitch. Mitch was completely head over heels for Coral, and sadly the only way to distract her into giving him notice was to grope her. He usually wound up with palm print to his cheek, but the past year it seemed Coral was slowing down and finally realizing that Mitch was serious about staying with her.

But the feuding couple wasn't what caught his eye. It was the vision behind them that wore a silly grin that matched his own. _She_ was the reason he stayed in America. She was the reason he changed majors from History to Criminology. She gave him something to live for, to cherish, to _protect_. He swept her up in his arms, kissing her soundly before setting her back down.

"Ugh! Why you two just don't move in together is beyond me." Shep complained.

"Because I respect her wishes to wait." Yashita looked down at the smiling brunette. "Because she's worth waiting for."

Yashita had known who he was, or rather who he had been, when the Shikon came to him. He had left Japan to get away from his family, yet feared that doing so would mean losing _her_ reincarnation. For the first eight months at NYU, that fear had remained and grew. A run-in with a would-be mugger had sent him to the local ER for stitches and that's when he'd found her. A different name and look for sure, but he knew it was her, his Kagome. And he pursued her with patience and kindness, showing her that he was determined, but honorable.

Katherine smiled up at her boyfriend, hugging him, ignoring the gagging sounds from Sheppard. She had been told of the Shikon no Tama in her History class and had thought it mere silliness like most myths at the time. But the story stayed with her and she began to wonder if it really was true, especially with the odd dreams she had been having throughout the end of high school and now in college. Meeting Yashita that fateful night had been a turning point. There had been something about him that struck a chord deep inside. Like she _knew_ him. His persistence had been admirable and she finally gave in to his request for a date. It had been awkward at first, until he kissed her good night. Like a bomb going off, she suddenly remembered who she'd been, what she chose. Since that night they'd been inseparable, getting teased from their friends about moving in. But Katherine wanted to wait until they finished college, so they wouldn't be distracted. She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

She got her wish after all.

* * *

_This little plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. I kept thinking about how things would realistically end. So I came up with this based on a few 'facts'._

_Theoretically, we cannot exist in the same time/space as ourselves._

_The invention of guns was well on its way and the way of the sword was dying out._

_As deeply as we're led to believe Kagome loves Inuyasha, I didn't see her marrying anyone else._

_Everything else was my imagination in overdrive I suppose. The original idea had been to simply show Grandmother Kagome telling the tale of InuYasha to Souta's children, and later the grandchildren. But it expanded into this when I realized the 'original' was barely 1000 words and left things still unanswered. So it deviated to give us all the hope that they got a "happily ever after". Hope you enjoyed reading it._


End file.
